| Harald Gelhaus | |
|---|---|
| File:File:Harald Gelhaus.jpg | |
| Born | 24 July 1915 |
| Died | 2 December 1997 (aged 82) |
| Place of birth | Göttingen |
| Place of death | Bochum |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Kriegsmarine |
| Years of service | 1935–1945 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Unit |
cruiser Karlsruhe battleship Gneisenau |
| Commands held |
U-143 U-107 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Harald Gelhaus (24 July 1915 in Göttingen – 2 December 1997 in Bochum) was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. As a U-boat commander of U-143 and U-107 Harald Gelhaus is credited with the sinking of 19 ships (including the SS Clan Alpine) for a total of 100,373 gross register tons (GRT) and further damaging one ship of 10,068 GRT.
Summary of career[]
Awards[]
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (5 April 1939)[1]
- Iron Cross (1939)
- U-boat War Badge (1939) (31 December 1940)[2]
- U-boat Front Clasp in Bronze (1 October 1944)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1943 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-107[3]
- War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords (1 September 1944)[2]
Dates of rank[]
| 1 July 1936: | Fähnrich zur See |
| 1 January 1938: | Oberfähnrich zur See |
| 1 April 1938: | Leutnant zur See |
| 1 October 1939: | Oberleutnant zur See |
| 1 April 1942: | Kapitänleutnant |
References[]
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer & Röll, Hans-Joachim (2003). Der U-Boot-Krieg 1939-1945 - Die Ritterkreuzträger der U-Boot-Waffe von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn Germany: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 3-8132-0515-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Harald Gelhaus and the edit history here.